Neville's Take
by Hufflepuffection
Summary: Neville Longbottom's view of what happened during his years at Hogwarts.
1. Chapter 1

A/N - I don't own Harry Potter, characters, except for my own, etc. I plan on making each story for all of the seven years, so I hope that will happen. Please enjoy and leave a review, letting me know what you think!

* * *

This was it, I, Neville Franklin Longbottom was going to Hogwarts, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Believe it or not, this was a big and important day for me.

Especially since for years, my family, and at one point, I was convinced I was a squib. That was until the day my Uncle Al decided to throw me off a balcony, and I bounced when I hit the ground, tumbling all over the place.

I shrugged it off and walked over while nearly tripping over my suitcase to get to my closet. I made sure my bedroom door was closed so Gran wouldn't walk in. I began changing out of my pajamas, and slipped on my dark red sweater, my black jeans, my old pair of shoes that were starting to get holes in them. I tried to convince Gran I needed a new pair, but she told me to stop fussing. She and I have never really gotten along. Not that I minded living there, its just that its be a change since, since; nevermind.

I got to my bedroom mirror to look at myself after brushing my bangs that were getting really long, out of my eyes. I had to keep pulling my sweater down so my stomach wouldn't show. I wasn't exactly the skinnest kid for my age. Trying not to let that bother me, I turned to put my suitcase onto the bed, to pack more of my clothes. I fiddled for my wand that I thought was on my bed, but it was gone.

Thinking it had fallen on the floor, I bent down on all fours to check. When I reached my hand under, I immediately pulled it back out after feeling something wet and slimy. Taking a minute, I rolled my eyes, knowing full well what it was. "Trevor!". I once again, reached under and pulled out my pet toad my Uncle had bought for me. I was saving to buy a new wand. But Gran insisted on me using my dad's old wand. "Aren't you excited to be coming to school with me? I'll at least need one friend there", I said to him, who continued to struggle in my hand. I stood up, with one hand, I tried hard to keep Trevor clutched in my right hand, especially since he was always moving, not staying in one place. And with the other, I tried wiping the dust from the floor off my pants.

After I finally gotten Trevor into his carrier, I finished packing my suitcase, and retrieved my wand, which was under my pillow the entire time. I must have forgotten I put it there; a habit I had to break, forgetting things. Gran says one day that will lead me into trouble.

"Neville! We're going to be late! The train leaves at 11", Gran called from downstairs. "Hurry it up!". He voice was the kind that when it was raised, you tense up everytime you hear it. I was used to it be now, but every now and then, it spooked me.

"I'm coming, Gran!", I yelled back. I grabbed the handles to my suitcase and Trevor's carrier, and after checking I put my wand into my pocket, I opened my bedroom door and basically ran down the stairs, seeing Gran finishing her last sip of tea, and her last bite of biscuit. She offered me one, which I took and chewed very slowly. It tasted as though they have been expired for a while. As I finished eating, Gran stood up from the kitchen table and walked over to the hat stand, taking her red velvet hat that had a vulture like bird on top that smelled of something that I didn't really know what.

"I've asked Gerald Macmillan to drive us to the station", she said. I moaned, but immediately regretted it, knowing she heard me.

"What can't we get our own car?", I asked her, already knowing the reason.

"Because Neville, we can't afford a new car, since the Ministry decided on raising the prices on everything", she said. Our old car was getting to expensive so Gran decided to sell it to pay for my school supplies.

"Couldn't you just apparate us there?", I practically pleaded. Mr. Macmillan had a son my age, who was also going to Hogwarts. It wasn't that I didn't like his son, it was just that he acted like he knew everything and acted smarter around me. Considering he was our neighbor that made it all the more difficult to avoid him.

"I'm too old, and you're underage. If you got hurt, that's another trip to St. Mungos". It wouldn't matter, we're always there anyway.

"Okay", I said, out of ideas. I stared at the clock which said 10:22.

The two of us hurried out the door, where we were greeted by Mr. Macmillan in front of our house. He was a big man, even bigger than me. I noticed he also had to keep pulling his jacket down so his belly button wouldn't show. As soon as he saw us, Mr. Macmillan began smiling really big and started twiddling his banana colored hat around in his pudgy fingers. "Why, morning Augusta!", he said, his voice almost sounded like singing. "Good day?".

"Barely, Gerald. Once I get Neville off to school I can apply for that job at the Ministry. Put my old self to work", Gran said, straightening her hat.

"Why, you still look the same to me. Even more so today!", said Mr. Macmillan. He finally seemed to remember I was there, walked over to me, and grabbed my suitcase. "Here my boy, let me put this in the trunk. You can have a seat in the back, there". I pulled open his car door, got in, grabbed my wand out of my pocket, so it wouldn't snap. After closing the door, I rested my pet carrier on my legs, put on my seatbelt, and looked to the boy next to me.

He wasn't big like his father or me. He had a skinny build. His mop top of blond hair looked like it had been combed a lot. He was holding his hands together, and continued staring at the window. The black robes he was wearing were just like mine. I guess he wanted to put them on now so that he'd be prepared. "Hey, Ernie", I said, shyly.

He stared at me for a few seconds before turning to look back out the window. "Hello, Neville", Ernie said, flatly.

I didn't mind not talking to him, no conversation was better than forced conversation. I too looked out the window at my house trying to remember if I turned off the light in my room.

My thoughts changed when finally Gran and Mr. Macmillan got in the car and began to drive. The rest of the drive was Mr. Macmillan talking to Gran. She wasn't interested in what he had to say, of course. She always told me he was a blabbermouth. "And that Weasley fellow, he keeps trying to get my opinion on what a, what do you call it, a, a blender is. That man and his interests with Muggle contraptions. Ridiculous".

I decided I wanted to put Trevor in my pocket, especially since he was sleeping, I had a better chance of him staying in one place.

* * *

In the next few minutes, we made it to Kings Cross Station. It was huge! Not to mention how many people there were. The four of us got out of the car, and with Mr. Macmillan's help, he got Ernie's trunk and mine out of the trunk of his car. I noticed Ernie pulled out his pet owl in its cage as it slept. Some of its grey feathers had fallen on the bottom of the cage.

We walked into the station and quickly got to where platforms nine and ten were. We made sure that no muggles were watching us, that way it would be easier for us to get to the platform. Gran told me all about this; the way to get to the train that would be taking us to Hogwarts is through a brick wall that stood before us.

"I'm sorry, Ernest. I can't see you off, I have to get to work. But I'll see you when you come home for Christmas. Behave yourself, and remember what I told you about that willow tree, and keep clear of Mr. Filch's cat. He even sees you near her, he'll think you're messing with her, and he'll see to it you get detention!", Mr. Macmillan chuckled. Ernie laughed as well, but I could tell he was disappointed his father wouldn't be there to see him go.

"Yes, Father", he smiled.

"That's my boy!". Mr. Macmillan smiled a proudly, and ruffled his sons hair. "I'll be waiting in the car, Augusta". And with that, he turned and disappeared through the crowd of people. Without looking or saying anything to us, Ernie grabbed his trunk, his caged owl, and without a sense of doubt, he ran right through the wall.

I was nervous at first, but then thought how hard could it be, really? As Gran held onto my sleeve, we walked to the wall and the next minute my eyes went wide with wonder as I saw a large train, that just had to be the Hogwarts Express. I dreamt it would look exactly like it did just now; a candy apple red with gray smoke blowing, ready to leave.

I could see other kids with trunks just like mine, saying goodbye to their parents who were hugging and kissing them. I felt a weight in my stomach that wouldn't go away, not even when Gran dragged me closer to the train, and started making me look acceptable.

"Alright, Neville. Do you're best and I expect a letter once in a while. Have your wand?". I showed it to her. "Your pet?". I felt in my pocket for him, but became horrified when I didn't feel his wet, slimy skin.

"Gran, I've lost my toad again!", I said, looking around desperately, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Oh, Neville!", Gran said exasperatingly. She shook her head. "He's around here somewhere, just get on the train, and be good", she said, trying to straighten my hair. Carrying my trunk, and my empty pet carrier, I walked towards the train, handed the conductor my ticket I had in my back pocket and got on board.

I tried to look for Ernie, but he was gone, thinking he didn't want to be seen with me, he probably made sure he was away from me. I was getting pushed around the aisle by some bigger kids who were trying to get through. Thankfully I found an empty compartment and quickly got in, and closed the sliding door, hoping nobody else would come in. Seeing a rack for luggage on top of the seats, but I realized it was too high for me to reach. I had to stand on top of the seat and place my trunk on top. I hopped down and set my carrier on the seat next to me.

In the next few minutes or so, I heard the train whistle, and with one lurch, the train began to move forwards. I could see kids sticking their heads out of the windows, waving to their parents who waved back. I tried looking for Gran, but couldn't see her. We were now out of the station and were free to walk about the train if we wanted. This was the perfect chance to look for Trevor! I mean, less kids had to be out of the aisles by now!

So, with a suitable amount of courage, I slowly opened the sliding door, and tried my best to stay out of peoples way, while I looked on the floor, still not seeing Trevor. It dawned on me he had to be in one of the compartments. I usually wasn't comfortable talking to people I didn't know, so I decided on checking the compartments with the doors already open.

The compartment behind me had a group of laughing girls, they were older than me, and wearing the same black robes, but these had different colors on them with animal patches. There was a Hufflepuff, three Gryffindors, and two Ravenclaws. "Can we help you?", asked one of the girls, who noticed me. She was really loud, making me nervous. She was a Gryffindor.

"Uh, I, I w-was w-wondering-", I started, nervous beyond belief.

"I-if y-you c-can sit with us?", she said, mockingly. "No. Bye!".

My palms were getting really sweaty, and realizing I hadn't moved yet, I continued on. The next two compartments had closed doors.

The third one had a girl who looked about my age. The first thing I noticed about her was her hair; it was really messy, and seemed to be out of control. She was reading a really big book. Since her door was open, I knocked first. Without moving her eyes off her book, and raised one finger that meant she wanted me to wait. A few minutes past when she finally closed the book, sat it down next to her and looked at me. "Yes?", she asked, her voice was really bossy.

"I, um, well, I was wondering if you saw a toad anywhere? I lost him", I said.

"Why is he roaming around on the train? Where he _should_ be is in a cage. You could have at least made sure he wouldn't escape".

"I know, but he likes to move around a lot".

"Of course he does. He _is_ a toad after all", she said. What? Like I didn't know that already? "I'll help you look for him, if you'd like. I just finished a chapter in my book, that's why I made you wait". She got up, and walked over to me. I backed up so she could get out and closed her compartment door. When she turned around again, I felt her wisps of hair fly into my face. "I'm Hermione, by the way. Hermione Granger", she said.

"I, I'm Neville Longbottom", I said, nervously.

"Now that we're acquainted, I'll look for him that way-", she said pointing behind her, "and you go that way", she finished, pointing the way I came from. "If we don't find him in the next hour, I'm sure someone else will", said Hermione, as she turned her heel, walking down the aisle, I saw her bushy hair bouncing behind her. I couldn't help but think her and my Gran would get along just fine, they were both really bossy. But, I did as I was told, and looked around for my pet.

* * *

It felt like an hour after I had asked some of the kids if they have seen Trevor or not, a lot of them once again made fun of or just ignored me. By the time I reached the last compartment in back of the train, I knew it was hopeless. I figured I was going to spend the remainder of my time at Hogwarts without my pet or any friends. When I couldn't see or find Hermione, I checked her compartment, which was empty, and I trudged back to mine without seeing if anyone else was there, opened the door, went in, and closed it.

"Hello".

I was shocked to hear a voice behind me, especially since I thought I was alone. Expecting to see Hermione or even Ernie. But no, it wasn't either of them. It was a girl my age. She was wearing a dark blue long sleeved shirt, black jeans, and black shoes. She had short, black hair that was slightly curly and untidy, but still civil. She had a small build, yet seemed to be as tall as I was. Why was everyone skinnier than me?

"Sorry if you were here first, I've been looking for a compartment this whole time, but nobody would let me sit with them. You don't mind, right?". Her dark brown eyes made me nervous to look at her, and with her not taking her eyes off me, it caused me to continue to look around the compartment. "I'll take that silence as a yes", she said, cheerfully. I noticed she put her trunk on the opposite side of the wall, along with her caged, light brown owl, who also wouldn't stop staring at me.

"Oh, that's Norman", she said when she saw me looking at him. "I bought him in Diagon Alley. He wasn't too fond of me at first, but he getting used to me. Did you want to pet him?", she asked, beginning to stand on the seat to take him down. I shook my head no and sat down on the seat opposite of her, shoving the pet carrier under the seat. She shrugged her shoulders and sat back down.

I looked out the window. I knew she continued to gaze at me, which was making me uncomfortable.

"So, what House do you think you'll get sorted into?", she asked kindly.

"I, I haven't thought about it", I confessed. I honestly haven't.

"Me either. I mean, If I had to guess, maybe Gryffindor? I'm kind of brave, well, if that doesn't include my fear of mice. Because in that case, if I ever see one, expect me on top of a table screaming at the top of my lungs", she giggled. That surprisingly made me smile; imagining that happening. She began digging into her pocket and pulled out a small paper bag. She picked out small brown pieces that were shaped in a very odd way. "Want some?", she asked me, this time I looked at her, and noticed she was smiling.

"What are they?", I asked, reaching my hand out and watched her put four of the small treats onto my palm.

"It's just chocolate my Mum got from the Muggle world. It melts really fast, so eat them now!", she said. I put one into my mouth, and realized it tasted the same as a Chocolate Frog did. With that, I quick ate the other three. She ate her four, and stuffed her bag into her pocket.

"They were good", I told her, she nodded.

"I know. I was going to wait for the Candy Lady to come by, but she's taking forever. If you want anymore let me know".

"So, you went to the Muggle world?", I asked.

"Yeah, my Father was a Muggle. He, um, he died when I was seven", her voice changed from happy to sad, along with her expression. I sort of knew how she felt, thinking about my parents made me upset, too. I was a bit uncomfortable, mostly because I wasn't sure how to comfort her.

"I'm sorry".

Her face changed, and she was smiling again. "Its okay. I don't think about it too much, just because I don't want to be sad. Being sad is like a really bad dream; it lasts for a while, but when it's over, you'll always find a way to make yourself feel better", she smiled. I found myself smiling as well, and in no time at all, she was back to her happy self. "Wow, I'm sorry, here we are talking, and I haven't even told you my name. I'm Sarah Joyce Kennett", she said, holding her hand out, wanting me to shake it.

"I'm Neville Franklin Longbottom", shaking her hand, I figured she was going to make fun of my last name, as most people did. But she kept smiling, and let go of my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Neville", she said, still staring at me. I smiled at her, too, feeling myself relax for the first time since I left my house.

"You too".

* * *

For the rest of the train ride, we began talking about Hogwarts, Quidditch, and about ourselves. The candy lady came by, and we both got Chocolate Frogs. We ate the frog, but what we really wanted were the cards inside. We both got our soon to be Headmaster Dumbledore on both of them. When night came, the two of us drifted off to sleep. We were jolted awake by the screeching of both Norman and the train as it stopped.

It was then that we knew we had arrived.

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed it, so far! Don't forget to leave a review!


	2. Chapter 2

When the train lurched, we saw that night approached and there were lights shining out of the darkness of the windows; we were at another station. Looking back to look in our compartment, Sarah was once again standing on the seat, but this time, she pulled down her trunk and her owl, I did the same, except I grabbed my empty pet carrier from under the seat.

"We should put our robes on", said Sarah, as she opened her trunk, pulled her black robes out, and slipped them on her. I put mine on, too. They seemed to have become tighter since I first bought them. When we closed our trunks, we left our stuff on the seats, knowing someone would take them to our new dormitories.

"Bye, Norman. I'll see you in a little bit", Sarah told her owl. He answered her by screeching.

I walked over to the sliding door, and opened it. The two of us walked out of the compartment and into the aisle filled with excited and exhausted kids. I was nudged a couple of times by swinging elbows, but we finally made it onto the station. It felt strange standing still after we've been moving that long.

As I looked around I saw a very tall, hairy man, shouting "Firs' years, firs' years over here!". His voice was really rough. Sarah grabbed my sleeve and pulled me with her through a group of kids, that led to another group of kids that looked our age, standing in front of the man. "Come on follow me. Any more firs' years? Mind yer step now! Firs' years follow me!"

I could see Hermione, who was walking fast with her nose up in the air. Yep, her and my Gran would get along real good.

We all followed the man through a patch of woods, nobody said anything on account of how dark and cold it was.

"Hey", Sarah whispered in my ear, but it was so dark, I could barely see her face. "I hope we're in the same House. It would be nice to already know you if we are."

"Yeah", I whispered back.

"Yeh'll get yer sight o' Hogwarts in a sec", the giant man said. "jus' round this bend here".

He was right, I heard a loud "Ooohh!" from the rest of us as we stared at Hogwarts. It was a huge castle, we could see the lights from inside, lighting up the night.

"You know, that looks just like-", I whispered to Sarah, but when I turned to look at her, she was gone. I figured we got seperated by this large group. I began feeling nervous again. It was like she said, it would be nice to know at least one person. But I was a big boy, I could handle being alone.

"No more'n four in a boat!", shouted the man pointing to a few boats, bobbing up and down in the water. I quickly ran over to Hermione and got into a boat with her, and two other boys.

As soon as we all got into the boats, they began moving gracefully towards the castle. I couldn't take my eyes off of it, it was really something. "Heads down!", yelled the man. The next thing we knew we were under a cold something, and we were brought on shore, I suppose. When we got out of the boats, the only light we could see was the man's lantern shining in my face, as he led us out of the cave.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?", he said, as he pulled out my pet from his pocket.

"Trevor!", I said loudly, retrieving him. I noticed at that moment how many stares I got. We then walked up a lot of steps that were leading to the front doors of the castle.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"

I nodded and he preceded to knock on the door, making a loud, hollow sound. It opened almost immediately; a tall, woman came out, she seemed very strict. Why did everyone remind me of my Gran? Her shiny, green robes made mine feel old.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall."

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here". With that, she pulled open the door all the way, so we could all get through. The inside looked bigger than the outside. There were torches on the wall making the entire place light up. Marble staircases that led up, and up, and up. Not to mention how many portraits of moving figures there were. Professor McGonagall showed us into a small corridor, causing us to squish together.

"Welcome to Hogwarts", she began. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seat in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony, because while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house had its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points. While any rule breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting", she finished.

I could tell she was looking at me. Her stare, ice cold. I quickly fixed my robes that were messed up.

"I shall return when we are waiting for you, please wait quietly", she said, and then she was gone. My Gran told me about the Hat that was going to sort us, a raggedy, old thing it was. I was hoping that it wouldn't say Slytherin for me, after hearing so many horrible things they have done, I didn't want to be in it. The others were whispering to each other about their Houses as well. However, a voice broke through my thoughts.

"Excuse me, excuse me, oops! Sorry!", I looked back to see Sarah, pushing her way through the crowd, right when she stepped on a girl's foot. In the back I also saw Ernie, he was talking to two girls and another boy; not even been here an hour and he's already popular. "Hey!", Sarah said, happily.

I smiled back at her. "Hey. Where'd you get to?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. This really mean kid and his three friends kept pushing me and some others out of the way. They'll regret that when I learn how to do real spells", she said determinedly. "One time, I accidentally turned my cousin's dog into a bug. It took us days to find him after that". We both laughed.

Suddenly, out of the walls, ten or more ghosts came out. They seemed ancient like they've been here a long time. One ghost was big like me, and holding a cup, while another was scary looking and waving his sword around.

"New students!", exclaimed the fat ghost. "About to be Sorted, I suppose? Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know", and with that, he went back into the walls.

After a few minutes, Professor McGonagall returned and shouted for the ghosts to leave us alone; to which they had gone back where they came from, leaving behind a cold chill in the corridor.

"Now, form a line, and follow me", she said. We did as we were told, and formed two straight lines. I was next to Sarah, with Hermione in front of me. Professor McGonagall had opened the doors to the Great Hall.

The room was really big. Inside, there were four really, long tables that had students sitting all around them. I noticed that each table had kids sitting with the same House colors on their robes. I saw the adults who were most likely our Professors sitting at the end of the Great Hall in a row, all staring at us. I looked up at the ceiling, and stared in awe as there were lit candle sticks, that looked as though they were floating in the night sky. I could hear Hermione in front of me, "It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in _Hogwarts, A History."_ That must have been the book she read on the train.

We stopped and crowded at the front of the Hall and stared at Professor McGonagall standing next to the Sorting Hat that lay on a stool. The hat seemed to move a little, then perked up and began singing?

 _"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

 _But don't judge on what you see,_

 _I'll eat myself if you can find,_

 _A smarter hat than me._

 _You can keep your bowlers black,_

 _Your top hats sleek and tall,_

 _For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,_

 _And I can cap them all._

 _There's nothing hidden in your head,_

 _The Sorting Hat can't see,_

 _So try me on and I will tell you,_

 _Where you ought to be._

 _You might belong in Gryffindor,_

 _Where dwell the brave at heart,_

 _Their daring, nerve, and chivalry,_

 _Set Gryffindors apart;_

 _You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

 _Where they are just and loyal,_

 _Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,_

 _And unafraid of toil;_

 _Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

 _If you've a ready mind,_

 _Where those of wit and learning,_

 _Will always find their kind;_

 _Or perhaps in Slytherin,_

 _You'll make your real friends,_

 _Those cunning folk use any means,_

 _To achieve their ends._

 _So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

 _And don't get in a flap!_

 _You're in safe hands (Though I have none),_

 _For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

Finally the song was over and after a round of applause, Professor McGonagall spoke again, while holding a long list of parchment, that had to have all of our names on. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Abbott, Hannah!"

Just then, a girl behind me, stepped forward, sat on the stool and put on the hat. After some brief hesitation, it shouted, _"HUFFLEPUFF!"_. One table clapped, and the girl named Hannah, took the hat off, and ran happily to the table on the far right.

"Bones, Susan!", just as Hannah did, she put the hat on which announced, _"HUFFLEPUFF!"_. She too ran over to the Hufflepuff table and sat next to Hannah. And the sorting went on one by one.

"Boot, Terry!"

 _"RAVENCLAW!"_ , and he ran to his table.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy."

 _"RAVENCLAW!"_

"Brown, Lavender."

 _"GRYFFINDOR!"_. She was the first one, so far.

"Bulstrode, Millicent."

 _"SLYTHERIN!"_. I guess she was that kind. I felt someone tug on my sleeve, and looked at Sarah.

"See that boy with the _really_ blond hair?", she asked. I looked to where she was pointing and saw the boy with another boy three times his size standing next to him. The said boy had a know it all smirk on his face. "He's the one who kept pushing me out of the way. Just a heads up."

"Thanks", I told her, gratefully as we watched the rest of the Sorting.

"Granger, Hermione."

Hermione looked really nervous and I could swear she practically ran up to the hat. " _G_ _RYFFINDOR!"_. She smiled and ran to sit next to a boy named Seamus, also sorted into Gryffindor. After a few more kids went, Professor McGonagall finally got to the Ks.

"Kennett, Sarah". Sarah looked at me, and I nodded at her, as she smiled back at me. She walked over to the hat, biting her lip. Sitting on the stool, she put the hat on whilst fiddling with her fingers. " _HUFFLEPUFF!"_. Hearing that made her smile. She quickly glanced at me, and ran over sit next to fellow Hufflepuff, Justin Finch-Fletchley.

Professor McGonagall now got to the Ls and called my name. Gulping, I stepped up and did just as the others had done. The hat seemed to be whispering to me.

 _"Ah, nervous? No need. Kind hearted, yes. Bit of a loner. But lots of courage yet to be found, yes, yes, indeed. GRYFFINDOR!"_ , the Hat yelled. I felt relief. My entire family had been in Gryffindor, and now so was I! I was so excited I didn't realize I had taken the hat off my head, and I ran to but it back. Then took a seat across from Hermione.

I turned around to look at the Hufflepuff table and could barely see Sarah, who smiled sadly and waved to me. I did the same; I mean, it would have been nice to be in the same House, but it's not like we wouldn't see each other, we could still be friends.

Thus, the Sorting continued.

I started getting bored until Professor McGonagall shouted, "Potter, Harry!". Like a snap of fingers, there were whispers and everyone tried to get a look at Harry Potter. Everyone knew about him. He made You Know Who disappear when he was only a baby. It's been said his parents didn't make it, but he somehow made it out alive.

He put the hat on, which stated, _"GRYFFINDOR!"_. There was more applause for him than anyone else. At our table, a pair of twins stood up and began shouting, "We got Potter! We Got Potter!". I watched as Harry Potter sat down in front of me, next to Hermione. All I could wonder was if he really had his scar on his forehead, but didn't dare ask him.

When the sorting was finally finished, our Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of all time, started speaking once the hat was put away, and we were all sitting.

"Welcome!", his voice calm and shaky. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

There was yet another clapping of hands, I wasn't really sure what he said, so I just shrugged my shoulders, when suddenly, plates and plates of food appeared on the table. My Gran normally made this for me, but not as much as there was in front of me. I started filling my plate with sausages and fries, with a little bit of those peppermint humbugs.

I felt uncomfortable when the ghosts came back and didn't hesitate to pass through a student or two. The talk at the table was quite boring; a few boys were talking about Quidditch, that didn't interest me too much, I liked it, but I don't obsess over it. Then they started talking about our familes. A boy named Ron asked about mine. I didn't want to talk about my parents, so instead, I told them about my Gran, and when my Uncle Algie proved I was a wizard, and that was pretty much it.

Hermione was talking to an older boy who I suspected was a Prefect, due to him wearing a badge with a large P on it. They went on and on about classes and tests. Shocker.

* * *

After we finished eating, the plates of food along with our empty ones disappeared and we turned to face Professor Dumbledore.

"Ahem! Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have just a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note, that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember as well.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors". I remembered Mr. Macmillan telling Ernie to leave Mr. Filch's cat alone, unless he wanted detention.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch". I saw a brown haired boy, pound his fist, smiling really big. He must be on the team, along with the twins, because they were whispering to each other.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death". I gulped again, hoping he wasn't serious. Sarah caught my eye. She was laughing, most likely taking it as a joke.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!". Dumbledore raised his wand, and out of the tip came words. "Everyone pick their favorite tune. And off we go!". The majority of everyone in the room began to sing, where as I and a couple of other first years remained silent just listening instead of trying to join in.

 _"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

 _Teach us something please,_

 _Whether we be old and bald,_

 _Or young with scabby knees,_

 _Our heada could do with filling,_

 _With some interesting stuff,_

 _For now they're bare and full of air,_

 _Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

 _So teach us things worth knowing,_

 _Bring back what we forgot,_

 _Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

 _And learn until our brains all rot."_

"Ah, music", said Dumbledore. "A magic, beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

With that, our Prefect, I heard his name was Percy, told us to follow him, just as the other Prefects told the first years in their House to do.

Percy led us out of the Great Hall, and into the main corridor. The Ravenclaws walked ahead of us already going up the stairs. The Hufflepuffs were walking next to us, when I saw Sarah run towards me, once again, grabbing a hold of my sleeve and tugging it.

"Isn't this place great, Neville?! I mean, even though I wanted us to be in the same house, we'll still have classes together! And, just, I'm so excited!"

"Relax!", I joked. "We still have a long night ahead of us", I giggled.

"Yeah, I know. I just can't believe I'm really here! Oh! I have to go. But I'll see you tomorrow?", she exclaimed, happily.

"Yeah", I said. With one last smile, she followed her Hufflepuff Prefect around a corner.

We followed Percy up the stairs, but stopped when we saw a bundle of what looked like walking sticks started floating toward us. "Peeves", Percy whispered to us. "A poltergeist. Peeves, show yourself!". At that moment, a ghost appeared where the walking sticks were. "Peeves, do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?".

Peeves seemed to frown, but ignored him, and looked at us. "Ooooooh! Ickle firsties! What fun!", he cackled.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!", shouted Percy. With that, Peeves dropped the sticks, but without reacting as fast, the sticks fell on my head. I cried out in pain, and began rubbing. I looked back up at the ghost, but he was gone. "You want to watch out for Peeves. The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us Prefects. Here we are", he said, showing us a portrait of a fat lady, she looked pretty, but seemed to be full of herself.

"Password?", she asked.

"Caput Draconis", Percy responded. And the portrait swung open toward them, revealing a small tunnel leading into the Gryffindor common room, decorated with almost everything red. Red drapes, furniture, carpet, a moving picture or two. There was even a roaring fire to keep us warm. Percy told us the boys dormitories were to the left of the staircase, and the girls' were on the right.

As we walked up to the rooms, I walked into one that held five beds, dressers, and a heater in the middle of the room.

I saw my pet carrier on the side table next to one of the beds, which I decided was going to be mine. A few minutes later, I found I was going to be sharing a room with Harry, Ron, Seamus, and a boy named Dean Thomas.

I stuffed a sleeping Trevor into his cage, changed out of my robes, noticed a fresh pair with the Gryffindor symbol on it. I put on my pajamas, and waited until the others were done talking so I could drift off to sleep. Excited about nothing else but tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, I woke up feeling groggy. Mostly because I've been told I snore. I got out of bed, changed out of my pajamas and into my new robes.

The four other boys did the same, as I, and all of us, got the books we needed for class, but for now we headed down to eat breakfast.

When we reached the Great Hall, as I expected, a lot of people were staring at Harry and pointing at him as he sat down at the Gryffindor table. Not wanting the attention of being next to him and not knowing anyone else yet in my House, I sat on the far end of the table closest to where our Professors sat. When I did, a plate appeared in front of me. Being as hungry as I was, I piled my plate, and began eating.

I watched as a few of my fellow first years had made a lot of friends already, some of the Gryffindors were sitting at different tables. I couldn't see Hermione anywhere. Even though I didn't really know her, she seemed nice, and she did help me look for Trevor. But she seemed really bossy and is too involved in her books. I haven't even cracked open mine yet, for I had time to do that in class.

In the middle of finishing my plate, I saw that Slytherin boy with really blonde hair; it was slicked back like he put in a lot of conditioner. He seemed the type to think he's better than everyone else.

I started to get tense when he saw me staring at him. He motioned to his three friends. The four Slytherins walked over to me, two facing me, and the two bigger boys behind me.

"Why were you staring at me? Did I give you permission?", asked the blonde haired boy.

"I, I w-was just-", I stammered, nervous.

"Just doing what?!", demanded the girl, her voice firm. "Wishing you were in the better House? Guess you lucked out", she said.

The blonde boy smirked. "You must be a Mudblood. Are you?"

"No", I said, finally looking him in the eye. "Even if I was, there isn't anything wrong with that."

"You only think that because to be a Slytherin, you have to be the purest of blood. That's why if you're in Gryffindor, you're bound to fail", said the girl. "Right, Draco?", she asked the blonde boy.

"Exactly", Draco said. He picked up my wand I left on the table. Suddenly protective of my things, I stood up and tried grabbing it but he handed it to the girl.

"What is this? A piece of driftwood?", she gawked, weighing it in her hand. "This 'wand' feels pretty breakable to me."

"Don't you dare! Give it back!"

"I want to hold it a little longer", she said, still tampering with it.

"Isn't your last name, Longbottom?", laughed Draco, joined by the girl. "Hey Pansy, that's worse than Weasley". The four Slytherins laughed. I, however was getting really angry, not that I'd get a detention over these jerks.

Just then, from behind her, someone grabbed my wand, causing her to look around. Sarah then stood next to Draco, clutching my wand safe in her hands.

"Oh, and what happened to you, Malfoy? Your mommy wash your hair with lemons? And you Parkinson", she looked at Pansy. "Is that a pimple on your face or has that always been there?". That made me laugh. The sight of Professor McGonagall staring at four Slytherins ganging up on two other students was enough to make them leave, but not before giving the Gryffindors deadly glares.

Looking pretty satisfied with herself, Sarah pulled her books in front of her, opening one. And I couldn't help but laugh with her as she sat down.

"Thanks for that", I said, as she handed me my wand back.

"No problem. Just ignore them, they're a bunch of jerks. So how's Gryffindor?". I told her about the boys in my dorm, and her eyes went wide. "Harry Potter? 'The Boy Who Lived'?! What's he like?", she asked in between bites of bacon.

"He's okay I suppose, I haven't really had a chance at talking with him. He probably has tons of friends now anyway."

"Maybe you should talk to him. It isn't so hard. We're talking", she said.

"Yeah, but you're nice, how would I know he's nice, too? And why don't you try talking to him?"

"I can live without having a famous friend. And like I said, you should talk to him. It really works, because I made three new friends in my House, that Hannah girl, a guy named Zacharias and that Ernie kid you talked about."

I suppose she saw how unsure I was. She sighed louder than needed and playfully punched me. She rolled her eyes as she smiled.

"You'll make more friends, Neville, I know you will. So, I've been reading my History Of Magic textbook and I think it's really interesting. I've been hearing people say that Professor Binns is boring, but boring can be educational. Did you have a subject in mind?".

"Not yet, soon though. Speaking of that, we have to get going!", I said, seeing how we were going to miss our first class. We both picked up our books and hurried out of the Great Hall.

As we left, I felt someone push me forward so that I dropped two of my books. It was Draco Malfoy. Sarah began to chase after him but stopped. "Watch where you're going, prat!", she yelled, panting. She turned back and picked up my books.

* * *

During our classes, we had to sit with someone with our own Housemates. So, I sat with Dean while Sarah sat with a Hufflepuff I didn't know. Turns out Professor Binns was a Ghost, and he was pretty boring. The only students who were actually excited about this class and the ones who answered his questions were Hermione, Sarah, and three others.

I found Herbology to be fun for me. It was interesting to see how many plants there were. At one point I did an assignment right, and Professor Sprout said I did a really good job. That made me feel really great.

Charms and Transfiguration were alright. I had to duck when Seamus sent a ball of fire in my direction, which ended up hitting Professor Flitwick's hat.

Next was Potions. We entered a really cold room that was located near the dungeons. It was filled with bottles, books, and jars of I don't know what. Water was dripping from the ceiling. I sat down next to Seamus as we put cauldrons in front of us.

Professor Snape in particular scared me out of any other Professor. His black cloak was huge, which made him look like a monster. One moment he stared at me straight in the eye, his dark eyes made me feel small.

During roll call, he called on Harry and kept singling him out. Malfoy laughed at him for that. Snape kept asking him questions he didn't know, but Hermione did. All I wished for was he wouldn't ask me them as well. For the rest of the class were to create a potion just right. I tried focusing but with Snape looking over our shoulders, made me all the more nervous.

All of a sudden, Seamus's cauldron and mine was leaking on the desk, and all over the floor. Some kids screamed looking as the potion was burning holes in their shoes; so much they climbed on top of their stools to avoid my disaster. The minute I screamed, I knew I had gotten some on me because my body felt like it was on fire. I looked down at my arms; red boils started growing on my arms and on my face.

"Idiot boy!", yelled Snape. "I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?". He flicked his wand, making the potion disappear. I felt myself tearing up, not because I was embarrassed, but because I was in a lot of pain. "Take him to the hospital wing", he said to Seamus.

I needed Seamus' help to lead me because two boils started growing over my eyelids, blinding me.

"Gosh Neville, I don't think I could ever mess up that bad. _Me!_ ", Seamus joked. I didn't find it the least bit funny.

Madam Pomfrey told Seamus he wasn't allowed to stay, and sent him back to class. In a matter of minutes, Madam Pomfrey made the boils go away completely. She said I had to stay there for the rest of the day, to make sure I was okay. Since that was the case, I fell asleep.

* * *

The next time I woke, and Madam Pomfrey had shook me awake, putting down a tray of food in front of me. Chicken, green beans, and orange juice. I looked out the window. Seeing as how it was nighttime meant I was allowed to go back to my dorm.

I finished eating, and as I walked into the corridor, thankful I didn't see Malfoy at first. But what I did see brought a smile to my face. Hermione, Seamus, and Sarah had been sitting outside of the Hospital Wing, and the moment they saw me, they ran over; Sarah grabbed onto my sleeve, like she always did.

"Neville! Are you okay?", she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why are you guys here?"

"To check on you, of course. If you need help, you could have just asked me, you know", said Hermione, but not in her bossy tone, more of a caring one.

"Really?", I asked, not believing my ears.

"Duh", said Seamus. "Why else would we be sitting on the cold floor for the past three hours?"

"We'd better get back to our common rooms before curfew", Hermione informed us. Agreeing with her, we said goodbye to Sarah as she headed towards the Hufflepuff common room.

Hermione, Seamus, and I said the password to the Fat Lady, letting us in. The three of us said goodnight to each other and went into our dorms to sleep.

Even though I slept for a couple hours, I could use a couple more.

* * *

(Normal P.O.V)

Neville and Sarah had gotten quite close during their first few days at Hogwarts. Even though in different houses, they found time to spend with one another; breakfast, free periods, and times they spent in the library.

In the Great Hall during breakfast that morning, Neville was happy to hear Hermione, and the other Gryffindors didn't have a problem with Sarah sitting with them. In fact, Hermione was equally as happy to talk with someone who loved History of Magic as much as she did.

Neville was busy reading his book on Herbology. He might have taken a liking to this class, considering it was calm most of the time.

Ernie Macmillan and Zacharias Smith ran over to the Gryffindor table, looking excited about something.

"Sarah! Come on, or we'll be late!", said Zacharias.

"Oh yeah! Thanks guys! Is Hannah coming, too?"

"She's already there with Justin, let's go!", said Ernie. Sarah got up and gathered her belongings, said a quick goodbye to Neville, and followed her Housemates out of the Great Hall.

Neville wondered what they were doing. Even more why Sarah didn't invite him, too. He tried really hard not to over think it. He must have known she would get tired of him, eventually, everyone he knew did. He wasn't shocked when, once again, Draco Malfoy swaggered behind him, giving Neville a hard shove.

"So Longbottom, you're friends with that filthy half blood? Not as bad as a Mudblood, but still", said Draco, he obviously hadn't been prepared for Neville to very quickly get up from his seat with fists clenched; Draco took a step back.

"Shut up Malfoy", Neville said through gritted teeth. But Draco didn't lose his cool, he continued to smirk, for he knew Neville didn't have the guts to punch him.

"Pulled a nerve, did I? I'll have to remember that". And with the same stupid grin on his face, Malfoy went back to join Pansy for breakfast. Neville returned to his seat, only then realizing Seamus and Hermione had been watching him.

"I _hate_ Malfoy", Neville confided in them.

"Yeah well, today we have our first flying lessons with that lot. So get prepared to hate him even more. He says he's a really good flyer. But I'm sure that's all talk, just to get people to think he's cool", Seamus said. Hermione moaned. Neither Seamus or Neville had ever seen Hermione actually upset to be learning about something. When they gave her questionable looks, she looked back and forth at them.

"Its just, I've never really liked the idea of being up in the air. I always got nauseous at the idea of it", said Hermione, starting to look a little green. "But, I did borrow this book about Quidditch from the library, if you guys want to read it with me".

"Thanks Hermione, but I know all about flying on a broom, I've seen my mum practice, and I've watched enough Quidditch games to know a few techniques", Seamus bragged.

Hermione scoffed at him, "Seamus, watching isn't really the same as hands on learning. You'll think you'll get the hang of it on the get go, but what if you get hurt trying to show off?"

"I'm not a show off! I just have confidence is all!", he said, sounding offended. Hermione rolled her eyes, and turned to Neville, who agreed to listen to her read to him.

"I've never been on a broom, either."

"Good choice", said Hermione, smiling. The two of them giggled.

Just then, owls started appearing in the Great Hall, dropping mail to the students; letters and packages from their families. Draco was showing off his box of sweets his mother must have sent him. A big barn owl had flown above Neville and dropped in his hands, a small package, which he quickly opened seeing his Gran was the one who sent it. When he finally got it open, he picked up a small glass ball with white smoke inside of it, realizing what it was.

"It's a Rememberall!", he said to Hermione and Seamus, staring curiously at the object. "Gran knows I forget things. This tells you if there's something you've forgotten to do. Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red, oh". Neville frowned when he watched as the ball filled with a red mist. "You've forgotten something". What could he have possible forgotten? He guessed the small object would come in handy. He thought he was about to remember, when Draco came back over to the Gryffindor table, near Neville and grabbed the Rememberall out of Neville's hand, looking at it.

Neville wasn't sure why Harry and Ron stood up. It couldn't possibly be to help him, why would they? Before he could say anything, Professor McGonagall had walked over and seeing the possible fight about to take place.

"What's going on?", she asked, scrictly.

"Malfoy's got my Rememberall, Professor", explained Neville. Draco dropped the Rememberall back on the table.

"Just looking", said Draco, motioning Crabbe and Goyle, his goons, to follow him. With one last disapproving glance, Professor McGonagall left the Gryffindors. Neville picked up his gift, and put it into his pocket.

* * *

The time came when the Gryffindors and Slytherins had to start their flying lessons outside. The instructor, Madam Hooch, looked strangely almost hawk-like, with her yellow eyes staring at the kids.

"Well, what are you waiting for?", she said, very cross. "Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up."

She had set twenty of the schools broomsticks laying in two rows on the ground, which they immediately went to. "Stick out your right hand over your broom, and say 'Up!", Madam Hooch said.

The class did as they were told, and began to shout at their brooms. Neville, no matter how hard he tried, couldn't even get his broom to move one single inch. He looked around and saw Harry's broom shoot up right into his hand. Hermione's was moving around on the ground but refused to leave it. It took a couple of more minutes than expected, but everybody had managed to get their brooms in their hands, and were about to mount them.

As Neville got onto his, he was afraid he might fall off, he was shaking so hard.

* * *

(Neville's P.O.V)

I was breathing in and out trying to calm myself down.

"Now, when I blow my whistle", continued Madam Hooch, "you kick off from the ground hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle, three, two-".

But I must have bent my broom forward because the next thing I knew, I was being flown straight up into the air, unable to control my broom out of fear. I must have been up at least twenty feet in the air. And all of a sudden, I found myself on the ground, feeling a white hot pain coming from my arm. I was slowly being helped from the grass by Madam Hooch. I could barely hear her say "Broken wrist", from how loud I was crying, not even caring that people were staring at me; I was in pain.

"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch'. Come on, dear", she said to me. I was clutching my wrist, walking with Madam Hooch.

We reached the hospital, and Madam Pomfrey didn't seem too shocked at seeing me back. She put me into a bed and gave me a drink that didn't taste to good. But in a few seconds my wrist had stopped hurting, but it left a little pain, to which she had put my arm in a cast, and said it would take a while to fully heal. And she let me stay there again for the rest of the day, and told me I was allowed to sleep; I gladly accepted.

Night had come, and Madam Pomfrey had shaken me awake and set another tray of food in front of me. The rest of the beds were empty, but I wasn't alone this time. I sat up, watching Sarah, as she was sitting in a seat beside my bed, obviously having dozed off. She was sitting sideways in the chair, so she was leaning on the back of it; her head on the top, with her arm drooping over the side. Her long, dark hair was covering her face. I didn't want to wake her, but I also didn't want her to be in pain from sleeping like that.

"Sarah", I whispered, she didn't stir. "Sarah", I repeated, a little bit louder. This time she sat up, shocked.

"No, Sir, I didn't, I didn't-", she began, but after remembering where she was, she looked around, and awkwardly smiled while moving her hair out of her face, and behind her so it ran down her back. "Heh, sorry. I guess I fell asleep".

"Kind of", I said. "Why aren't you at dinner?"

"I blew that off so I could be here when you woke up. Neville, what are we going to do with you? We might as well keep you here permanently", she joked. I felt happy she was there, but at the same time guilty she was missing dinner. I looked at my plate and saw two rolls of bread and picked them up.

"Want these?"

"No, I'm okay". I could tell she was lying. And I threw them to her. "Thanks", she said, smiling shyly, and ate with me. "Oh! I almost forgot!", she said. She dug into her pocket and tossed my Rememberall to me. "Harry gave that to me to give to you. He really is a nice guy."

I stuffed the ball on the stand next to the bed. "Yeah, what did happen?". She began telling me about how after I left, Malfoy found my Rememberall on the ground and threatened to hide it when Harry demanded he leave it alone. "Wow, I just hope Harry doesn't get in real trouble for helping me."

"Not at all, because Oliver Wood told me McGonagall asked him to give Harry a tryout for the Quidditch team", she said, brightly, finishing the bread and wiping the crumbs off her lap.

"I have to thank Harry I guess."

"Yep."

"Sarah, can I ask you something?". I wanted to ask her this for a while. Her brown eyes made me unable to look away.

"Anything."

"You don't regret being my friend do you?". I felt this way when I saw her leave with Ernie and Zacharias. She looked shocked I would even ask this.

"Of course not! Neville, you were my first real friend here. And when I make friends, I don't just abandon them. Trust me, as someone who's been friendless her whole life, friendship is the most important thing to me". She got up, walked over to my good arm, laid her hands on my wrist and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Don't forget that okay?".

"Okay", I said, smiling.

"Promise?", she asked, returning a smile.

"I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N - Once again, enjoy and review!

* * *

The pain from my wrist had gone, and no matter how hard I protested, Madam Pomfrey insisted that I stay in the hospital until night.

It was going around the whole school that Harry was going to be Gryffindor team seeker. At least my misfortune brought some good to someone. A few students had been coming and going from injuries either done in class or possible during flying lessons. Some not as bad as mine, but almost. Seamus had been in to give me the homework I've missed and to tell me that Malfoy was still making fun of me. I was hoping it would have died down by now, but apparently not.

"Yeah, he's telling everyone he put a spell on your broom so you'd fall off. I kept trying to say that was rubbish, but one against four isn't effective", Seamus explained.

"Thanks for trying I guess."

"No problem", said Seamus as he swallowed a piece of candy he got out of his pocket. "I heard Malfoy challenged Harry to duel tonight. I was going to watch, but they plan on doing it after curfew, and I'm not going to risk getting more points taken from our house than I already have. During Charms, I may or may not have kept setting Flitwick's hat on fire", he said, his smile was filled with mischief.

We talked about the upcoming Quidditch game, both of us excited to seeing Harry play. But Seamus had to leave, according to Madam Pomfrey, he had overstayed his welcome. That gave me the peace and quiet I've wanted to finish my homework.

* * *

The time came for me to leave the hospital and go back to the common room. I caught a few kids staring at me, snickering. It kind of bothered me, but I didn't show it, I was only focused on getting to bed.

I climbed up the stairs greeting the Fat Lady with the password.

"Incorrect", she said. My throat went dry.

"Wrong?", I said. I then remembered Percy had said the passwords would change from time to time so students from the other Houses couldn't get in. I randomly tried out words, but none worked. "Can't you just let me in?"

"Not without the password". I rolled my eyes in frustration. I was thinking hard about what to do, because it was almost curfew and nobody would be wandering the halls, not unless they wanted to get caught by Filch. Maybe there were kids coming down the corridor to get in, I thought.

Walking down the dark hall, I didn't see anybody there. Suddenly, there were spine tingling cackles coming down the hall. Thinking it was Filch, I ran to the end of the corridor and hid behind a tapestry, the cold wall, chilling my skin. The laughter got louder, and as soon as I could see a white figure floating in front of me, I peered out from the curtain and saw the ghost of the Bloody Baron with another ghost talking, and disappeared into a wall.

I let out a sigh of relief. I knew it would probably be safe to sit on the floor, to see if anyone would come by soon. The moment I stuck out one foot, the Bloody Baron had reappeared and I barely had time to hide again. He looked up and down the hall, seeing nothing, he went back where he came from.

I cautiously stepped out from behind the curtains, looked back and forth, then sat on the chilled floor. As I tugged at a loose string on my pants, it felt like hours since I had first sat down. I leaned against the wall, and thought it wouldn't hurt to close my eyes for a few minutes.

I must have been dreaming because I could see myself on my broom flying up into the sky, still not in control, then I began falling, and falling, and falling, but it faded to black. It was still dark, but I could hear a woman laughing, along with a man, laughing like they were having the time of their lives. Just laughing, but I couldn't quite put who the voices belonged to.

Jolting awake, I thought my dream turned into a nightmare when I realized I was shaking when I woke up.

There were whispers coming down the hall that led to the common room. Thinking it was Filch, I froze out of fear, not able to move as fast, because I've been sleeping on the floor.

Three figures came around the corner and it was Hermione, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley. I relaxed and leaned back, knowing I wasn't getting in trouble by them; at least I hoped I wasn't. They saw me, looking shocked. "Thank goodness you found me!", I said. "I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get into bed".

Hermione glared at me, putting one finger to her mouth, which meant be quiet. "Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's Pig Snout, but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere".

"How's your arm?", Harry asked me.

I showed them. "Fine".

"Good, well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later-". Seamus told me they were planning on having a duel. I didn't want to go, but at the same time I didn't want to get caught by a teacher.

"Don't leave me!", I begged, getting to my feet. "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already".

Ron looked annoyed, it was clear that he didn't want Hermione and me there.

"If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you", he threatened.

* * *

We followed Harry through the empty halls to a trophy room. I guess this is where the duel was happening. We were there for a while. Harry and Ron stood next to each other whispering, while Hermione stood next to me, rambling about how much trouble we'd be in, and I couldn't help but agree with her.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in the corner", came a voice, Filch's voice. Panic filled me as I looked at Harry, not knowing what to do.

He motioned for us to leave from the door we came through.

Our little adventure through the torch lit castle wasn't fun for me at all. There were a few incidents, I accidentally caused Ron and me to crash into a row of knights armor, banging as they hit the floor, Peeves made an appearance and began shouting that there were students out of bed.

The moment we stopped in an empty classroom, Hermione was scolding Harry and Ron about how Malfoy tricked them into a duel so they could get caught by Filch. I wasn't too shocked, it was wonder with all the racket we're making, I was surprised that no other Professors were searching for us.

With Filch and his cat still on our trail, we ran towards a door that was locked, but Hermione grabbed Harry's wand, said 'Alohomora', and the door unlocked itself.

We hurried into the room, and quickly closed the door behind us. I looked into the room, which turned out to be a large corridor, and at first saw nothing, but as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, what I saw made me freeze out of fear. There, standing before us was a very, very big dog. It wasn't a normal dog either. It was black, and didn't have just one head, but three giant heads, all looking equally angry at seeing us.

I tugged on Harry's bathrobe. He clearly didn't see the beast yet, because he kept telling me to stop. He finally saw the dog, growling and drooling. Thankfully, Harry reopened the door, and the four of us ran through, closed it, and seeing that Filch was no where to be found, we ran all the way back to the fat lady's portrait. She asked where we were, but Harry gave her the password, making her swing open.

The minute we reached the common room, I was out of breath from running and decided to sit on a chair before going up to our dorm. I could hear Harry, Ron, and Hermione talking as they went to bed.

Hermione was saying how the dog was standing on a door. I didn't catch the rest as I was relaxing, making a note never to go near that door ever again.

* * *

The next morning, at breakfast, Sarah sat across from me, and I told her everything that happened. Her eyebrows were so high, they almost were hidden under her bangs. She was about to say something when the mail arrived. Her pet owl swooped above her and dropped a letter in her lap. She quickly opened it, read it, and nodded. After putting the letter back in the envelope, she rested her elbows on the table and looked at me.

"Why would Professor Dumbledore allow a creature like that to be in his school?", Sarah said, biting her lip as she thought.

"I heard Hermione said she thinks it was standing on a door. Maybe guarding something?"

"Or maybe Quirrell has it for a Dark Arts lesson?", she suggested. "Either way, it isn't safe."

"I don't know. Quirrell doesn't seem brave enough to handle a three headed dog", I said.

She started laughing, and started imitating his constant stuttering; I burst out laughing, too. "Speaking of Quirrell, when I asked him a question at his desk, I understand what George Weasley meant by his turban smelling funny. It smelled like something died."

* * *

The day after the scare from the huge dog that I'm pretty sure tried to eat Harry, Ron, Hermione and me, was pretty relaxing.

Classes like Charms, Transfiguration, and Herbology were really fun. Darks Arts was interesting too. Quirrell started to get annoying from his constant stuttering, but once he showed us a spell to keep away bats. Most of the kids got the hang of it, but my wand didn't want to work for me, probably because it wasn't mine in the first place.

Potions was the class I dreaded most, because Snape seemed to single out Harry and me the out of everyone else.

Since it was Friday, we had afternoons off, meaning we could catch up on homework, or take walks around the grounds.

The sun was shining, and we were allowed to put on our regular clothes, seeing this opportunity to get out of my warm, itchy robes, I put on my red tee shirt, but kept my black pants on.

I planned on spending my day off down near the lake and near the woods, just for some fresh air. Seamus and Dean were coming with me, I wasn't sure it was because they liked me or just because they needed a break as well.

They were sitting in the common room, trading chocolate frog cards. As soon as they saw me, they picked up the cards and shoved them into their pockets. Seamus, wearing a Gryffindor sweater and tan khakis, Dean was wearing the same Gryffindor sweater we all were supplied with, and black shorts.

"It's boiling out guys", I said, as we exited the Fat Lady's portrait, and down the main staircase.

"I don't mind it. I just want it to be clear we're in Gryffindor is all", explained Seamus, even though he began tugging at his collar.

"Yeah, what's wrong with a little school spirit?", asked Dean, following us.

I shrugged. "If you say so". We passed the Great Hall, and out the doors, into the warm air. After walking down the path to the Black Lake, we started picking up rocks and trying to see who could throw them the farthest. We did this for a while, but got bored and started walking around the edge of the water.

"You know, I've heard there's a giant squid in that lake. That giant told me about it. I asked him if it would kill us if we fell in, but he said it's really gentle. Rubbish, I thought", said Seamus, sorting the cards he had in his pocket.

"Me too", said Dean. "A beast that size could kill all the men he wanted."

"Then I guess it was a bad idea to come down here", I said, getting nervous being this close.

"I'm sure its a myth. I've asked a few people here, they said they never seen it", informed Dean.

"Well", said a voice behind us. Sarah walked up beside Seamus, her jean overalls the same color as the lake, and her hair in two braids, kept swinging back and forth as she tried keeping up with us. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was a squid in that lake. There's all kind of creatures here. And after what you told me, Neville, about that dog, I don't think Care of Magical Creatures will be all too entertaining."

I gave her a look that told her to be quiet. Seamus and Dean saw what I was doing.

"What kind of dog?"

"A big one, with three heads", said Sarah, smiling still finding it amazing, even if she wasn't surprised. As they began asking me questions, I told them everything I told her.

"Promise you guys won't tell anyone else", I pleaded. They promised, but Seamus got the same mischievous smirk he always had. Dean suddenly looked really annoyed, and whispered to me, "Does _she_ really need to hang out with us?". He tried to say it so only I could here. It obviously didn't work, because Sarah glared at him. I realized her and Dean haven't talked much. "Of course she can, she's my friend", I said. "What do you think, Seamus?"

"I don't have a problem with her", he admitted. "So far, she's the only girl in our year who likes Quidditch. That's good enough for me". I looked at Sarah to see how she took that, and was surprised to see she was blushing.

* * *

The rest of the time we spent outside, was pretty decent. We took our shoes off and walked in the water, and tried to look around the edge of the Forbidden Forest; Dean could have sworn he saw something move.

"I gotta go", Sarah said, putting her shoes back on.

"Where are you going?", I asked. She looked as though she couldn't think of what to say.

"It's kind of a secret."

"I told you about the dog, so you can tell me about what you're doing", I said, frustrated. I made sure Seamus and Dean weren't listening, they were too busy throwing more rocks.

Looking defeated, she came closer to me. "Fine. Hannah, Zacharias, Ernie, Justin, and me found a way into the kitchens". She was telling me about a portrait with a bowl of fruit on it. There was a passage behind the picture, it was like getting into the Gryffindor common room, but instead of saying a password, you had to tickle a pear and the picture would open and you could get in. "Ooh! Also there are Elves down there! Here I thought it was the staff here that made our meals. They let us eat as much as we want. There's one elf I really like, he wasn't given a name, so I call him Monty, after my father. You can come with me if you'd like!"

"Sure", I said, putting my shoes on and followed her back to the castle.

* * *

I wondered if Seamus and Dean would notice if I was gone or not, I doubt it.

Being in a cold part of the castle didn't help me, especially since my shoes were soaking wet. I followed Sarah up to the portrait with the pear that needed to be tickled. Once she tickled it, the large picture swung open, revealing another tunnel and a lot of commotion echoed through the tunnel. A tug at my sleeve made me walk into the dark which led to the kitchens.

A warm feeling rushed over me, as I realized just how hot it was in here. The next thing I saw were little creatures, cleaning the floors, pots, pans, dishes, and preparing meals. The elves looked like little bats almost, except they couldn't fly. They were all wearing what looked like pillowcases; I guess they couldn't afford clothing. I got distracted by the small, fragile looking creatures to notice the loud crash of teacups next to me.

"Monty, are you okay?!". I heard Sarah yell. I quick looked to see her comforting a rather tiny house elf in her arms. He was shaking and his eyes were as wide as biscuits. I walked over to her sitting on the floor while two other elves cleaned up the mess.

"Y-yes, Miss. Monty is fine. Just clumsy is all, Miss", he said, his voice trembling. I couldn't really blame him, I'm a klutz once in a while.

"It's okay, just calm down", she whispered to the pathetic thing. A few seconds later, she got him to his feet. He was really skinny like the others, but he wasn't as dirty. "See? You're okay", she said, when she smiled at him, he returned the smile.

"So, uh, you come down here often?", I asked, sitting beside her, as she fixed his filthy pillowcase and Monty played with her fingers.

"Yeah. This is where Justin, Hannah, and the others and I come down whenever we have free time. They mostly just come down for the food, but I like talking to these guys". I noticed she wasn't looking at me. I tried to catch her eye, but she seemed determined to not look at me.

"Why haven't you invited me along?". Silence. "Sarah?"

"No reason."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Neville", her voice was steady, as if silently asking me to stop. But it's when I did stop talking that she finally looked at me, her face was pleading. "It's just, Ernie doesn't like you. And he keeps bugging me and telling me I shouldn't be friends with you. I tell him to shut up, but he won't leave me alone about it."

I didn't know what to think, let alone say. "Ernie and I never talk. Why doesn't he like me?"

"He says you annoy him because you're his neighbor and you won't leave him alone. That's all he said", she said.

"That's ridiculous. I never want to talk to him. Only because his dad and my Gran want us to get along". Monty obviously didn't like this confrontation, so he hid behind Sarah.

"He didn't tell me that. And if I did invite you to come with, I didn't want them to gang up on you. Hufflepuffs don't seem like the mean type, but some are."

"If they're so mean, why are you friends with them? I thought you said you never had friends. How come all of a sudden you have a whole group of them?", I said, surprised that I was starting to get annoyed with her.

"We're in the same House, so we're supposed to get along", her voice started getting louder.

"Well, we're _not_ in the same House. Why are you my friend, then?!", I shouted before I could stop myself. Her expression changed from angry to shocked.

"Because we were friends before we got sorted. Houses shouldn't matter if you want to be friends with each other, right? And at least I try and make friends instead of just not talking to them. That's your problem, Neville. You don't talk to anyone else besides me, _THAT_ is a problem!", she shouted back at me.

I was really angry now. I stood up and took a step towards her. She did the same so we were face to face. "I never asked you to talk to me. I don't need you to be my friend, so just leave me alone!", I yelled.

Immediately I regretted what I said, the minute I saw tears run down her face. Before I could say a word, she pushed me aside and ran out the passageway. As I started to go after her to apologize, I felt a little force hit me on my leg; Monty kicked me. He stared at me with a disapproving look and shook his head at me. Ignoring him, I walked out of the tunnel into the now busy corridor. Closing the entrance once more, I began walking down the hall looking for Sarah.

Doing my best to avoid a bunch of sixth years, I saw Seamus and Dean sitting on a bench, still barefoot, trying to dry their shoes.

"Hey guys. Did you guys see Sarah come through here?", I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, don't know why she was crying, though", said Dean.

Seamus felt his socks, to determine they were still wet. "She didn't strike me as the crying type. Must have been a Slytherin."

At least they didn't know I was the reason she was probably sobbing in her dorm.

"Yeah", I said, more to myself than to them.

"Only jerks make girls cry. Oh well. Let's go back to the common room. I want to sort through my cards again, make sure I don't have any doubles", Seamus said, as he and Dean gathered their sopping wet shoes, and the three of us started walking to the Fat Lady Portrait, still discussing their cards. "Oh, yeah, where'd you run off to? We looked for you around the lake, but you were gone", he asked as we climbed the stairs.

"Oh, um. Talking to Professor Sprout about what we're planning on doing next year", I lied.

"Why are you thinking about next year, mate. We're barely surviving this year, with all the homework", said Dean, giving the Fat Lady the password. We climbed through the portrait hole and walked over to the fireplace so they could get warm.

"I just like that class is all. It's really fascinating."

Dean rolled his eyes. "If you say so."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N - Hello again! Let me know what you guys thought by leaving a review!

I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The next morning was rough for me. Right as I woke up, I put on my clothes, put my Rememberall inside my pocket, and did my best to find the courage to join the others who were heading to the Great Hall for breakfast. I was going to walk down with Seamus and Dean, but all they wanted to talk about was Quidditch, and I didn't care for it that much, and the last thing I wanted was to feel like a third wheel around them.

I caught up with Hermione, and after we talked for a while, we both agreed that staying away from that giant dog was better for both of us. Mostly because we didn't want to get detention with Mr. Filch, or worse, Professor Snape. And we both didn't want to get expelled, which is why we decided that hanging around with Harry and Ron wasn't the best, especially if Malfoy tried to pull another prank like he did with the duel. Which was absolutely fine with me.

"You know", started Hermione, "I've been thinking of taking extra classes to help me prepare for end of the year exams. Maybe it will do wonders for the O.W.L.S we're set to take fifth year."

"Sure", I said, realizing I still had homework to do, wondering what would happen if I didn't do it, would I held back?

"Well, I for one, am excited for the exams. They'll help us decide what we want to do after Hogwarts. Not that I've put much thought to it, but it doesn't hurt", she informed me.

"I suppose. You know, Hermione, you are aware you don't have to rush to grow up. Aren't you okay being 11?", I asked as we walked down the steps, trying to avoid Peeves, who was tugging at girls hair.

She shrugged her shoulders. "My parents have always told me I'm mature for my age. And since I never had any interest in playing with the kids in the muggle world, I spent a lot of my time reading books. Which is why the first day at Diagon Alley, I bought the books we needed plus more, and read them all in less than six weeks. That way I'd be prepared for anything."

"Wow. And all I was worried about was making sure I remembered to wear pants", I said. We both laughed. "Oh! That reminds me". I grabbed my Rememberall from my pocket and squeezed it. The red mist filled the object, telling me I forgot something. "I'm still not sure what I forgotten!". Hermione bit her lip, trying to help me out, and looked me over.

"Oh! I know! You forgot to put your robes on!", she said, obviously happy to help. I immediately looked at myself and felt stupid I hadn't realized it before.

"Thanks. I'll put them on after breakfast". With that we walked into the Great Hall, and sat at the Gryffindor table.

"Um, Neville, you share a room with Harry and Ron, right?", she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Do they ever say anything about me? I want the truth", she said. I got nervous as she glared at me.

"Well, to be honest, Ron calls you bossy a lot. Harry doesn't say much, he agrees with Ron some of the time. Seamus, Dean, and I stay out of it though." She didn't seem too happy with this, but accepted it.

"Do you think I'm a know it all?", she asked.

"Yeah, but that's not a bad thing, Hermione. No! Honestly! Do you know how much I wish to be as smart as you are?!". That seemed to cheer her up.

With her buck toothed smile, she beamed. We watched as other Gryffindors joined us, and began to eat. When the owls were delivering mail, six screech owls were carrying a package that was larger than any other piece of mail I've ever seen. The minute the parcel landed before him, Harry read the letter attached to it, and didn't touch the package after he read it. It wasn't difficult to see what it was; it was in the shape of a broom after all. We heard Ron announce it was a Nimbus 2000. I wonder who would send that to Harry, not trying to sound rude, but what he told us of his aunt and uncle, they didn't exactly give him everything he wanted.

I saw Harry and Ron take the parcel and run out of the Great Hall, probably to open it in our dorm. Malfoy grabbed Harry's gift from him and refused to give it back. Not wanting another confrontation with Malfoy, I looked away towards Hermione who looked annoyed.

"Unbelievable!", she exclaimed. "They almost get us into trouble and he's being rewarded with a present like that!? If that would have been you or I, we would have gotten a month's detention!", she said, as she stabbed her eggs with her fork.

"None of the teachers found out about it as far as we know", I my best to comfort her. She seemed to consider this.

"Still, they're both lucky we didn't lose all of Gryffindor's points. If anyone had known I was involved, I'd be getting made fun of than I already am, apparently". We ate the rest of our breakfast in silence, while I heard Oliver Wood talking excitedly to Fred and George Weasley about Harry's broomstick.

"If we had that broom, we'd win the House cup for sure!", said George.

* * *

As everyone left the Great Hall to go to classes, I decided to quick run up to my dorm to put on my robes. I walked out the entrance, only to become engulfed by a crowd of every year students, finding myself getting a bit claustrophobic at being stuck in this large group. I broke free and took a minute to stand by an entrance that led to the courtyard. I sat on a windowsill and watched the crowd pass me by.

I saw a bunch of first year girls laughing and talking to one another, pointing at their books. I recognized the girls, Hannah, Parvati, Lavender, Su, Sarah and Lisa. Sarah was clutching her book very tightly against her chest, her head down so her hair was dangling in front of her face, but I could see her eyes, and how red and puffy they were. Knowing full well why she was crying I didn't dare try and talk to her, thinking the last person she wanted to see was me. She looked sad as she followed the other girls to class.

Choosing to abandon the task of retrieving my robes, I grabbed my books, and joined Seamus and Dean on the way to Charms. Suddenly, Harry and Ron came up beside me. I was shocked to see them with someone like me, but I didn't question it out loud.

"Hey Neville. Look, I just wanted to say if it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have gotten on the Quidditch team, so thanks", said Harry. It took a minute for me to process what just happened, and I started shaking my head like an idiot.

"Okay. And thank you for getting my Rememberall back for me", I said.

"No problem", he said, and walked the rest of the way with Ron in tow.

Potions was the class I dreaded out of any other class at the school. I don't know what happened this time when my cauldron once again spilled and this time, the icy blue potion froze on the floor and when it leaked under other kids shoes, it made them stick to the floor.

I could feel myself turning red as Professor Snape stared at me, while he cleaned up my mess again. "Longbottom, see me after class. 10 points from Gryffindor", she said, his voice low. The sound of both of the Gryffindors moans, and the Slytherins giggles, made me feel horrible, and I wished the end of this class would never come so I wouldn't have to speak to Professor Snape.

When we were dismissed, I reluctantly waited until everyone else left the room to walk over to his desk. It made me feel slightly better when Hermione and Seamus smiled at me with concern. I dragged my feet over to his desk and stood in front of him for a few minutes. He didn't say anything at first, but continued to read a bit of parchment, before signing it and finally looking at me. I couldn't stop twiddling my fingers and biting the inside of my cheek. Doing my best to stare at him in the face, but the darkness of his eyes gave me the impression he as staring into my soul.

"Mr. Longbottom, you do realize the point of this class is to teach you concentration, something you appear to be lacking?", he said, his voice as cold as ever.

"Y-yes, sir."

"And you understand if you don't pay attention in my class, you will most likely never succeed?"

"Yes, sir". That was all I could say, too afraid to say anything else.

"In your years at Hogwarts, you will be taught potions that will become more deadly than the simple ones I'll be teaching you this year. And I expect you to actually use your brain and pay attention. Unless you expect to pass Potions as though it is the easiest class here, I suggest you actually listen and read what is in your textbook. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, now get out". I did as I was told, almost forgetting to grab my things before I walked out of the silence, I couldn't bear to stay in.

* * *

The rest of my classes were okay. I still wasn't sure why Snape hated me so much, almost as much as he hated Harry it seemed. I certainly never met him before, and I've never done or said anything to him. Maybe if I was in Slytherin he'd appreciate me, or in Ravenclaw. Or maybe, he just hated Gryffindors, either way, it wouldn't make a difference. He'd probably hate me no matter what I think or do.

After Charms, I saw a heated discussion between Ron and Hermione. He already didn't like her, and I wondered what he was saying to her.

* * *

During dinner in the Great Hall I got my answer. I, along with a few others, heard Lavender and Parvati talking to each other about how Hermione was crying in the girls bathroom. I knew Ron was responsible, and I wanted to say something to him, because Hermione was kind of my friend. But I talked myself out of it; I didn't want to be on thin ice with someone in my House, like how I was with Snape or Malfoy.

The Great Hall was decorated for Halloween, we could tell by the amount of live bats that were flying around with the ghosts, and the pumpkins that were lit up. I personally didn't think it was safe for us to have animals near us while we ate, but then again what did I know. The elves did a good job of making the food so it would fit with the spirit of Halloween, with food shaped like skulls, different creatures, and a fancy drink that I could quite tell what it was.

All of a sudden, Professor Quirrell ran into the Hall screaming at the top of his lungs, "TROLL! IN THE DUNGEONS!". Seeing he caught our attentions, he tried to fix himself. "Thought you ought to know", was all he added, before he fainted on the hard floor.

Everyone started screaming and running from their seats, not knowing what to do. I stayed sitting, even though I was scared that there was a large, probably dangerous creature roaming the castle, what was I going to do about it? I was a small child, horrible at magic as it was.

I looked up and saw purple explosions in the air that came from Professor Dumbledore's wand. The loud noise, caused some of the kids to cover their ears, as everybody became silent.

Professor Dumbledore looked strangely calm as he put his wand away and addressed us. "Prefects, lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!". A select older number of students, did as they were told, and began to yell for their Houses to follow them from the Hall. Following orders, I followed Percy out of the Hall and into the main corridor where a bunch of students were trying to follow their correct Prefect. One or two Ravenclaws realized they were with the Slytherins and tried to find their own House.

As I looked wildly around to see what else was happening, the Hufflepuffs had passed us, I saw a few trip over their own robes, and onto the floor, just like Quirrell had done, (except they didn't faint); I hoped he was okay. The one Hufflepuff with short, black hair who had fallen stood up, placed a finger under her nose, and saw red. I quickly forgotten concern for myself and rushed over to her.

"Are you alright?", I asked, just now remembering that she was still mad at me. By the look of her face, she hadn't forgotten and with her clean hand, shoved me away, yet again.

"Get away from me!", Sarah shouted. She turned her back towards me and walked beside Ernie, who took notice of me, and glared at me before turning a corner. I went back to my own group, and by the time we reached the Fat Lady, Percy had quickly given the password, and let us in first before getting in himself and closing the entrance.

* * *

Most of us stayed in the common room so we could rest, without worry of getting harmed. The older kids did their best to calm the first and second years, who were crying from the commotion that had occurred. Deep in my own thoughts, I didn't realize Hermione had come in, until she had sat next to me.

"Where have you been?" I asked her. "Did you hear about the troll?".

She leaned back into her chair, looking completely exhausted, but managed to smile. "Yes. I sure did."


End file.
